Why have there been so many shark sightings in SA? Huge Great White spotted at Port Vincent

With 17 sightings of sharks – great whites, bronze whalers, and some unknown – in the last 10 days, this big one could be the biggest of all. Search our list. Video: Brett Mensforth.

Forget whale watching, this autumn it’s all about spotting big sharks.

A four-metre shark, visible from the esplanade, has even been caught on film at Port Vincent.

Brett Mensforth, of North Haven, took his drone to the beach at the weekend after a friend alerted him to the shark’s presence.

“There was a seal splashing around and the shark was right near it,” he said.

After the seal swam off, the shark lingered—cruising up and down the shoreline just metres from the beach.

Great white shark seen in the shallows of Port Vincent. Mandatory Credit: Brett Mensforth

Great white shark seen at Port Vincent. Mandatory Credit: Brett Mensforth

“I reckon you could see it from the footpath,” he said.

“I swore I could see a tag on its right dorsal fin when I looked back at the footage—maybe it’s a known one,

“On Good Friday it was hot and the water was packed. With the cool change on Saturday, no one was swimming. I’d hate to think what would’ve been captured if there had been people in the water.”

There have been 17 sightings of sharks in the past 10 days. Brett Mensforth

In the 114 days since January 1, there have been 168 reported sightings of sharks in SA waters, “more than usual”, said Anton Covino, founder of Shark Watch SA.

There have been 17 sightings of sharks – great whites, bronze whalers, and some unknown – in the last 10 days, and everyone’s got their own theory as to what’s happening beneath the surface.

Why are we seeing all these sharks?

Is it a Chinese submarine circling the waters of Adelaide’s south, or is it great white alerting swimmers to missing treasure?

In the 113 days since January 1, there have been 168 reported sightings of sharks in SA waters, “more than usual”, said Anton Covino, founder of Shark Watch SA.

There have been 17 sightings of sharks — great whites, bronze whalers, and some unknown — in the past 10 days, and everyone’s got their own theory as to what’s happening beneath the surface.

Shark sighting at Normanville Beach . Picture: Shark Watch SA

A shark sighting at Normanville on Tuesday prompted Jayson Smart to comment “it might be telling us something,” on Facebook.

“Either it’s ‘don’t go in the water’ or ‘I found Blackbeard's gold,” he wrote.

“Chinese submarine,” was what another commenter thought. Along Normanville, Aldinga, Maslin Beach, Port Willunga and Sellicks Beach in Adelaide’s south have been the most sightings of late.

Shark Watch SA founder Anton Covino said he didn’t know what was going on, “but I can tell you it’s not a man in a suit”.

One shark, named Bruce by Mr Covino, is believed to be the sole circler of the southern seas, but he said there could be multiple sharks.

“I don’t even know if it’s the same shark or a different one. It could be a number of different sharks,” he said.

Could it be you little cute Dachshund puppy wearing a shark life vest?

“It’s an intriguing situation.”

The most common belief is that it’s because of the algal bloom in the Fleurieu Peninsula pushing sharks up the coast.

Brian and Sam Rich, 65 and 52, live at Moana and said they have seen the algae as far north as their local beach, staining the paws of their west highland terriers Monty and Bentley yellow.

“There’s been a lot of dead fish wash up, and the algae foam has been up to Moana,” Mrs Rich said.

“But it’s curious, the sharks and the algae, there’s still kids in the water and parents don’t seem to mind.”

Jarad Henry, 46, was enjoying a piece of flake on the beach with his family when he said it “seems most likely it’s the algae”.

Jarad, Harry, Bec, Georgia, with Lucy the dog. Image/Russell Millard Photography

Eva Roach, 10, was playing beach cricket on the Normanville beach when she said she’d thought it might have been a man in a paper mache suit swimming around.

Eva’s theory was backed up by someone commenting: “Scam, I reckon it is a person in a shark suit” on a recent shark sighting Facebook post.

“Certainly trying to make him/herself famous,” said another theorist.

Further up the coast sharks have been sighted at Semaphore beach, and a 3.5m white shark has also been spotted patrolling the shallows inside Port Vincent.